Season 3 Episode 5: Healthy Lung Month: Real-World Data in COPD and Asthma

Anthony Pero

Welcome to Episode 5 of Better Living Through Data. Today, Andie and I are diving into October's Healthy Lung Month. When we look at respiratory health across aging and vulnerable populations, the numbers and clinical complexity are truly eye opening, especially when you dig into chronic conditions like COPD and asthma.

Andie Morataya

That's right Anthony. Every October during Healthy Lung Month, public health initiatives like CMS remind clinicians to push smoking cessation counseling. And while smoking remains the leading preventable cause of disease and death, that traditional message misses what is happening on the ground with older adults.

Anthony Pero

That's true, Andie! In PointClickCare long term and post acute care data, we see nearly two point eight million unique patient records with COPD and nearly one million unique patient records with asthma.

Andie Morataya

Those are massive patient cohorts, Anthony!

Anthony Pero

And here is the real challenge. Traditional clinical trials for respiratory therapies consistently screen out frail, elderly seniors. If an older adult has multiple chronic comorbidities like cardiovascular disease or metabolic disorders, or cognitive impairment measured on the Brief Interview of Mental Status, they get excluded. As a result, clinicians are prescribing complex respiratory regimens to nursing facility residents with virtually zero trial data representing their actual complexity.

Andie Morataya

That is where our regulatory grade, curated real world datasets change the entire landscape. PointClickCare captures on average over fifty data points per patient per day across more than fifteen million patients aged sixty five and older, spanning over ten years with an average long stay of over eight hundred days.

Anthony Pero

That's right, and we capture daily respiratory rates, oxygen saturation methods like room air, CPAP, or supplemental oxygen, cough, and secretion data.

Andie Morataya

We can also track subtle shifts, such as an escalation in rescue inhaler use with Albuterol or Levalbuterol, or adjustments to maintenance therapies like Fluticasone and Budesonide, days before an acute crisis hits.

Anthony Pero

In COPD, we also capture medication adherence, including documented inhaler refusals, along with proxy quality of life data for clinical tools like the St. George Respiratory Questionnaire and the COPD Assessment Test. When you track forced expiratory volume decline alongside real time vitals, care teams stop guessing whether a resident has acute bronchitis, pneumonia, or a COPD exacerbation. They can intervene before that resident ends up in the emergency room.

Anthony Pero

Having that level of longitudinal detail also opens the door to precision medicine. Instead of repeatedly prescribing oral steroids, which bring serious side effects for older adults, care teams can look at biomarkers like blood eosinophil counts or IgE levels. That allows clinicians to evaluate targeted biologics like Tezepelumab, Omalizumab, Mepolizumab, and Benralizumab to manage severe airway inflammation safely.

Andie Morataya

That targeted approach is critical, but Anthony, how do we demonstrate the value of these therapies to Medicare and health plans when biologic acquisition costs are top of mind?

Anthony Pero

That is where real world evidence is indispensable for market access and value based care. Respiratory hospitalizations, emergency room visits, and thirty day readmissions carry immense clinical and economic costs. When our data demonstrates that keeping a patient stable on appropriate maintenance inhalers or targeted biologics prevents a hospitalization or reduces length of stay, the return on investment for payers and providers is undeniable.

Andie Morataya

Our data also connects clinical outcomes to social determinants of health and behavioral factors, from current or former smoking status to social isolation and health literacy. When an older resident experiences shortness of breath, their anxiety spikes. In residents with cognitive decline, that physical air hunger often triggers severe agitation or aggression. When you recognize and treat the respiratory problem early, you solve the behavioral symptom as well.

Anthony Pero

Exactly, Andie. Healthy Lung Month reminds us that lung health requires attention across every stage of life. In long term and post acute care, that means moving beyond standard brochures to harness rich real world data, catching respiratory decline early and transforming care for vulnerable older adults.

Andie Morataya

I've left a few links in today's podcast description to learn more about our clinical data. Thanks for tuning in to today's episode of the Better Living Through Data podcast!

Anthony Pero

Bye everyone!